Create an effective billboard for your district

Written by Katie Test Davis

I was driving across North Carolina, headed for a quick weekend getaway in Belhaven, along the Pungo River. It was my favorite kind of drive, through all that my amazing state has to offer – beautiful water views, farm fields and cypress swamps.

But along with the landscape, there were billboards. So many of them.

And I got to thinking about what a great opportunity billboards can be for school district communicators – but only when done purposefully and with best practices in mind. (There are, I have to tell you, some pretty confusing and visually crowded billboards out there…)

Here are a few tips for creating an effective billboard ad for your district:

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Tap into one specific value.

I saw a few billboards advertising open positions. Some that were about free summer meals. Others about vaccines and health. No matter what the topic is, you need to choose a single value you want to tap into and then make that your focus.

One of my favorite billboards from our drive was a lawn care company that just stated: “Weekends are for having fun.” Brilliant. They clearly understand that their ideal customer doesn't want to spend their limited time taking care of their lawns. They turned that into a short, positive statement that made a big impact.

Use seven words (or less).

You only have seven words. (See, I just did it in five!) This means you need to be choosy about what words you use, and ruthlessly cut. According to True Impact, you have 8 seconds of drive by time to make an impression.

Everything on the billboard counts to your seven word limit -- including taglines and web addresses. A billboard should be your simplest, cleanest message possible. Don’t try for a subheader. Don’t try for a tagline. Choose just seven perfect words.

Luckily, you can do a lot in seven words. For example:

Elevate your career. Join ABC District.
Supportive. Personalized. Yours. Enroll in ABC District.
We graduate leaders. Enroll your child today.
Kids eat free this summer at ABC District.

less IS MORE

I get it – you have lots of partners and they have logos, and then you want your website on it, and maybe someone on your team suggests you also want your social media icons. Resist!

Your billboard visual should be just one image or icon – and it should evoke the values you are tapping. To go back to the great lawn care billboard example, you could show one child jumping into a lake at sunset to have a fun weekend – that image will evoke family, relaxation and fun.

Really go for emotion and use the image you choose to reinforce what you are trying to communicate. If you’re hiring teachers, pick your cutest kid in a welcoming stance that will evoke an immediate “aww” factor. If you’re communicating that enrollment is open, try just one student looking victorious in a cap and gown.

There’s always more to consider (how will the colors work against the landscape of your placement? How will it look from different angles?) when it comes to billboards, but the three most important things are selecting a value to tap, keeping it extremely short, and then choosing a single values-aligned visual.

Now go out there and make the most of your big billboard moment!

Forthright Advises